A Kind

f Library

"I always thought paradise would be a kind of library." Jorge Luis Borges

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It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

Very few things make me happier than this: it’s June 1st and time to plan for summer reading. In thinking back over past summers, it seems like each one has a story of its own and this year’s is to get lost in creativity. We aren’t traveling anywhere big (though I did join zip car in order to have out-of-the-city adventures), I’m not taking any classes, and I don’t have any major projects to work on. So, my plan is to spend my mornings and evenings running and:

This is a culmination of a school year spent thinking about the need for creativity in my life that isn’t job-related, and the growth and freedom of mind and that comes from getting lost in the creative process. I actually started reading these books as soon as my spring graduate semester ended a few weeks ago and it is amazing how the authors’ ideas align with the same influences who inspired this summer journey: Anne Lamott, Over the Rhine, Brene Brown, Mary Oliver. I’m also going to be diving into some essay and short story collections that have been sitting on my nightstand, patiently waiting to be read.

I get the afternoon doldrums after the pretty morning light is gone and before the golden hour begins, so I plan to fight them with my summer reading list. It’s interesting to me that this is the only part of year where I make a specific reading plan–and making makes me incredibly happy. I can only hope that you, too, are choosing which books will fill your summer as well. (Look here for lists from years past if you want ideas or recommendations of books I’ve already read.)

In the coming weeks I will be walking to my favorite independent bookstores to gather up the following titles, and encourage anyone to shop local if you are able to help keep these curators and lovers of great books doing what they do. And, before I get to the list here are some favorites to check out if you’re in the area and want to experience reading inspiration at its finest (and I’m always looking for new ones to add if you have one in any of the boroughs, Hudson Valley, or Columbus, Ohio):